Don’t Reuse Car Seats, Just Recycle

There are many reasons a child car seat should be properly destroyed and not used again.  Manufacturer guidelines are very strict on when it is not safe to use a car seat again including:

• If it is expired.  All child car seats have an expiration date which is usually 5 to 10 years after the date of manufacture.  The expiration date can usually be found on a sticker on the underside of the seat or stamped into the plastic and will usually say “Do not use after…”  A lot of people believe expiration dates are a ploy by the manufacture to get you to buy more seats.  The truth is the manufacture cannot guarantee the seat will properly protect your child after the expiration date due to materials breaking down over time.
• It’s been recalled or is defective.  If a car seat has been recalled the manufacturer will send you replacement parts if possible or they may issue you a refund or send you a completely new seat.  If your seat is recalled or defective and not repairable, it should not be used in the car again for any reason.
• It’s been in an accident.  Most car seat manufactures require child car seats to be replaced after ANY accident, even if the car seat was unoccupied.  The stress on the shell from the LATCH strap/vehicle seatbelt and the strain on the harness if a child was in the seat can make the seat unable to properly restrain a child in the future.  Car seats are a life saving device and like bike helmets are only designed to provide protection one time.
• It’s been mistreated.  Car seat manufacturers are very specific on how car seat covers and shells should be cleaned and it is important to know the harness straps should NEVER be soaked but rather wiped clean with a baby wipe or washrag using only mild soap.  Soaking the straps can cause the fibers of the harness to break down and weaken.  Also, if a car seat has been dropped, checked on an airplane or been otherwise mistreated it should be closely looked over to determine if it’s still safe and reliable to use.
• If it is no longer the right size for your child.  If your child has exceeded the weight or height limits of their car seat they need a new one, no exceptions. (Though this is the only case where it would be appropriate to sell or giveaway a used car seat, assuming none of the above factors compromise the safety of the seat).

So what if you have a car seat that can’t be reused?  It needs to be destroyed, completely, in order to prevent someone from picking it up, using it and endangering a child’s life.

Most experts say simply cutting the straps, removing the cover and writing “Crashed” in sharpie all over the shell is good enough.  Some people go at the shell with a sledge-hammer or saw it in half to make it completely unusable.  It’s then recommended that you throw the pieces in the trash on separate days in black trash bags.

But most car seats are plastic, so why not recycle it?  Most recyclers will not take items that are of mixed materials (which car seats are with their plastic, metal and fabric pieces).  So when I had a car seat that was defective (and had been replaced for free by the manufacturer), I decided to take it apart completely and recycle what I could.

How to Recycle a car seat:

1. Take off the cover and keep pieces that could reuse with a new car seat since it of the same kind.

2. Cut all the straps into multiple pieces and tethers into multiple small pieces so they can’t be reused.

3. Using a screwdriver (and other tools as needed), take the car seat apart piece by piece.

4. Sort all the pieces by type. Throw away the metal pieces and recycle the plastic and foam.

5. Cut the shell in half to ensure the car seat can’t be used again (and to help it fit in the bin!)

Follow the same procedure for infant car seat bases:

It was a lot of work but it helped me get out some aggression and I feel good knowing that no child will ride in an expired/recalled/defective/dangerous seat AND I didn’t send unnecessary trash to the dump.

For more on safety in the car see my list of car seat posts

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